The House of the Rising Sun
by RazzMcazz
Summary: In 1812 Lottie Beaulieu made a choice by reading a simple line of words that would change the course of her future and the future and the future of everyone around her, sending her into a dark world full of blood, tradition, and fear all in the name to save her family and the one person she can't live without. That line of words was simply "The House of the Rising Sun."
1. Chapter 1

Lottie Beaulieu didn't remember a lot about when she started to feel the sensation of dying. She was told by her grandmother that when death came you saw all your life flash behind your eyes. But as the man on top of her started to drain the life from her neck she didn't see her life pass in front of her. Instead she saw her future, the life she was about to live as one of those creatures that she had been told about many years ago in her childhood when her mother used to try and scare her and her sister to not wander off into the night.

But here she was, and oh God, had she wandered.

It had all started the night that Lottie's father had decided that she should marry Thomas Hayfield, one of the most richest and most eligible bachelors this side of the Mississippi. It was the year 1812 and Mr. Beaulieu had set up his family in New Orleans with a reputable plantation, a place filled with moss covered trees and open green fields that smelled of fresh cotton and songs from the slaves her father had bought but treated fairly just like any other employee, but it was none compared to the Hayfields who's profits where known all over the city, their house being the biggest and most beautiful with parties and lavish gatherings almost every night. Lottie's father had arranged the marriage one gambling night with Thomas's father, Frederick Hayfield, and both parties agreed that it would be a smart match. Mr. Hayfield would join his slaves with Lottie's father and their profits would double with the families connection. 

This of course had sent Lottie into a rage.

"But Papa I've never even met him!" she had yelled across the foyer of their house as her father had mixed a drink at his desk, his stuffy beard wiggling as he pretended not to hear his oldest but knew she was right. Their house was filled with rich mahogany and lots of furniture that was the latest fashion in the city for people of society to own.

"Thomas Hayfield is a handsome young man who would be a fine match for you Lottie dear" her father said gruffly as he took a swig of scotch.

"I don't care how handsome he is" Lottie said with a puff as she crossed her arms, her new dress mother had made her swaying at her agitated feet " I won't be sold off like a slave papa. Even you wouldn't do this to one of your own workers!"

"Charlotte you have to understand" her mother had piped up from the sitting area with her sister Catherine "Your father arranged this so that you would lead a comfortable life."

"I would rather stay with the pigs than marry someone I didn't love!" Lottie had proclaimed standing with her fists at her sides staring at her father. Her fair blonde hair swished from side to side as she turned from her father to her mother and then back to her father.

"Well is there someone else?" her father demanded questionably "Should I know of some other previous engagement you have gotten yourself into without telling your own father?"

Lottie's face flushed a bright red as her body became as still as water. Yes, there was someone else, but it couldn't be between them. Lottie had been in love with a boy named Remy Chevalier who's family owned a small fishing business on the docks. Her father bought their daily catch and her mother sewed with Remy's mother and sisters after church on Sunday. She had known him since they were both small, his sandy blonde brown hair a messy wave with those beautiful hazel eyes staring at her joyfully anytime they were together.

And now if she married Thomas Hayfield, she was sure she would never see those eyes again.

"Papa" Lottie said a bit panicky "I can't marry Thomas."

"Charlotte I like to think of myself as a reasonable man" her father said staring down at his desk "And I like to think that I have raised you and your sister to be strong women capable of doing anything a man might. But the only way I am going to tell Frederick Hayfield that the marriage is off is if you give me a solid reason on why it shouldn't."

Lottie looked back to her mother and sister who sat quietly waiting in the sitting room, their eyes and hands on their work but their ears perked at the slightest answer she would give her father. Lottie sighed and crossed the foyer into her father's office, shutting the doors quietly behind her. If her father needed a reason, she might as well give it her best go and tell him the truth.

Lottie stood taking a deep breathe as her eyes looked around the office, her father sporting famous paintings on the walls with expensive vases filled with rich magnolia's her mother had grown outside in the garden with the help of Mrs. Louisa the head servant. It was her father's office, but Lottie's mother made sure that it was sophisticated and refine for a gentleman's room.

Mr. Beaulieu looked up from his desk in surprise as Lottie crossed the office and stood in front of her father's desk, hands dainty across her body as her head bent down towards the floor, knowing that what she was about to say would either send her father into a spell or the roof would blow off the top of the house. Either way, it was a reason and she needed to give it.

"Remy Chevalier" she said quietly as her father's eyes grew skeptic at the name.

"What about him?" her father said gruffly once more.

"You said to give you a reason" Lottie said "He is my reason father."

"You can't expect me to believe that you would marry a fisherman's son over Thomas Hayfield?" he said with a chuckle.

"He isn't a fisherman's son father" Lottie said her face growing hot "He is almost a first mate on the ship _Rosemary_. They bring in some of the finest catch of New Orleans and...and I love him."

Her father had stared at her for a long moment before leaning back in his chair and rubbing his eyes with a peculiar smile before sighing and looking back up at his daughter.

"Alright Lottie" he had said with a lopsided smile " Maybe Thomas Hayfield will be interested in Catherine since your heart is set on Remy" he said with another chuckle "But don't expect me to hold back my tongue when you come home smelling of fish!"

Lottie had smiled so brightly she felt as if she could light the room up just from the happiness her father had given her that night. She had thrown her arms around his neck, happy tears falling from her eyes and she kissed and thanked her father.

But her happiness would only last that very night, for in the morning Lottie and Catherine had awoken to their mother's screams of terror as they found their father dead in their parents bed, a seizing of his heart taking him in the middle of the night without a sound.

The next weeks had been a blur, Lottie's mother had tried to keep whatever assets their father had left behind for them, but because of his unexpected death a will was never made out. So Lottie saw her family crumble in debt, and in a desperate attempt to save her family she had kept the pact her and her father had made and agreed to marry Thomas Hayfield.  
But the engagement had turned into a failure. Thomas was handsome yes, with his dark hair and bright blue eyes that any woman would swoon over, but between the constant bullying of her and her family and gambling away her family's money, Lottie had found herself once again desperately trying to keep food on the table for her mother and sister. She had tried speaking with Thomas's parents, but the Hayfields had been glad to get rid of their son, keeping his filthy habits of prostitution and gambling at bay from societies eyes. Now it was her problem, and she had to deal with it on her own.

Her mother had taken up a job with a local fabric store, agreeing to making dresses with Remy's mother. Catherine took an apprentice job at the local apothecary and came home smelling of chemicals. Lottie tried to keep the household clean and stay in fair ranks among society with Thomas, but as people danced around her she would find Thomas disappearing no doubt to the local docks to gamble and fornicate his way into oblivion.

"I don't know what I'm going to do" she said one night as she met Remy outside of the grocers. She looked over at him, his sandy brown hair swept back like most gentleman while his eyes stared deep into her soul. God, how she loved those eyes.

"You could always leave him" Remy said quietly as they passed another couple on the street.

"And leave my family to starve even more?" Lottie said brushing back her fair blonde hair "His money and whatever we have left is all that's keeping us going right now."

"Well" he said looking up towards the stars with a smile "You could always marry me."

Lottie stopped dead on the sidewalk, her body stilled to the words she had wanted to hear but never got the chance to.

Remy turned around with a lopsided smile, the kind that made Lottie's heart sway even now as she stood in shock.

"Marry you?" she said with a smile.

"Marry me" Remy said coming closer to her as he took her hand in his "I'll take care of you and your family. Forget Thomas Hayfield, he is poison on your life, I will make sure you never go a day without smiling again."

Lottie smiled bright as his hand found her face, his gentle stroke reminding her that she could be in a marriage filled with love and laughter and children she would cherish for a lifetime.

"Alright" Lottie said quietly, afraid if she said the words she might curse this perfect moment.

"You'll marry me?" Remy said smiling even deeper as he brought her close.

"Yes" she said "I'll marry you!"

Remy had been so happy he had picked Lottie up and swung her around with a laugh.

They had both agreed to tell their families in a week after Remy returned back from sailing from the islands. In that time Lottie would arrange for Thomas to move out of her father's house and find reasonable work for herself. It would be hard, but they could do it if they all worked together. Knowing that she could get away from Thomas, knowing that she would spend the rest of her life with Remy, it was almost too good to have asked for.

They had parted with a single kiss that didn't last long for fear someone might recognize them and tell Thomas before Lottie could get home.

But she remembered walking alone that night, her heart light as a feather and a smile plastered on her face. And as she crossed the street to make for the road that would lead her to her estate, she had accidentally bumped into a finely dressed woman and her male companion. Lottie had quickly apologized, her hands going to her bonnet as she tried to arrange herself respectively.

But looking back to the two she had bumped into she became mesmerized at their appearance. The lady, who she had originally bumped into, was dressed in a wine red dress that left little to the imagination of her breasts as her dark hair was curled high on her head with a blood red hat perched on top. But it was her eyes, those dark soaking rich eyes that captured her, and the white toothy smile the woman had flashed at Lottie with bright red lips.

"Look at this delicate flower" the woman said looking Lottie up and down before turning to her gentleman companion. Lottie looked him over as his suit was fine and tailored to make him look taller than he appeared, but his eyes also were dark and sensuous, his hair a coppery color as it was draped over his shoulder with a masculine tie like many Frenchmen would do when they would visit the city.

"Please pardon me madam" Lottie said with a curtsy "It's late and I wasn't paying attention. My apologies."

"So polite" the woman purred walking around Lottie "So young..."

"Now Carlotta" the man said with a thick French accent "Do not spoil your appetite with this fresh rose."

"What is your name my flower?" the woman named Carlotta said fingering Lottie's long blonde hair with her fingers. Lottie was too surprised to react as her mouth formed out the words.

"Charlotte Beaulieu" she said with a bit of a shiver.

"Charlotte?" Carlotta said tasting the words in her mouth "I don't think you go by that name very often. I think you go by..." she said staring into Lottie's eyes.

"Lottie" she nearly hissed.

Lottie could only shake her head up and down, terrified and mesmerized at how this woman knew her nickname her father had given her since she could remember. Maybe she was a voodoo queen? Lottie had heard stories of them dwelling in New Orleans, or possibly she knew Lottie's family and was just playing a trick on her?

"Lottie" the woman said now with a smile "Now that is a name that tastes delicious in my mouth. Louis, wouldn't Lottie look divine in my foyer, her hair loose around her shoulders, those rosy cheeks flustered at all the men that would look at her?"

Louis simply nodded his head, his eyes baring down into Lottie that made the sensation Carlotta was talking about happen on the spot.

"Yes" Carlotta said "Perfect."

"I really need to be going now" Lottie finally managed as her instincts kicked in like a animal about to be hunted.

"Going so soon? Oh well" Carlotta said producing a small card from who knows where "If you are ever in need of work my Lottie, come to this address. I will see that you are weeded and pruned like the beautiful flower you are, with a high price at that."

Lottie took the card from Carlotta's hand without even thinking.

"Thank you" Lottie got out before turning on her heels and running for the road to her home. She swore she had heard Carlotta's laugh behind her, but it didn't matter, Lottie wanted to get as far away from the woman.

Those eyes...they hadn't looked at her like a regular human. They had looked at her as if she was just a meal in front of her, a delicious course ready to be consumed. She was surprised the woman had not drooled out right the way she had looked at Lottie in those few moments.

But as Lottie saw the comforting lights of her own house she finally slowed to a soft pace, her lungs trying to produce air fast enough to calm her body down as cold sweat dripped from her forehead.

She found herself walking into her household only to find her mother and sister had gone to bed. But a lone figure sat in what used to be her father's office. The smell of cigar smoke and tartness of alcohol filled the air as Lottie walked in, her head held high for what was about to come

Thomas sat lazily in her father's favorite chair, a bottle of rum in one hand as the other held the cigar that spat ashes all over the fine rug her mother had bought some years ago. His dark hair looked greasy and fell in crazed strands across eyes while his handsome face seemed to be in a permanent sneer as he stared into the fire.

"And where were you?" he said sloppily as he took another drink.

"I had to stop by the grocers to order more food for the house" she lied expertly.

"More food" he said slurring "As if you didn't spend enough money in this place. If it weren't for my father and the fact that you have big tits I wouldn't be in this mess."

Lottie felt her face flush at his vulgar comment but kept her head remaining high.

"Or the fact that you've wasted yourself on whores and gambling" she said sharply "Then maybe I wouldn't be in this mess as well."

"Are you talking back to me girl?" Thomas said getting up from the chair and swaying drunkenly as he pointed a finger at her "I won't have my future wife talking to me like that, or you'll get a nice slap in the face!"

"I'll talk to you however I please!" Lottie said "If my father were alive he would have killed you right now for speaking to me like that! And the _minute_ you touch me will be the minute you cease to have hands!"

"You stupid bitch" he said coming at her but Lottie was fast to move out of the way as he smacked himself face first into a grandfather clock. He slumped down, his body still breathing but passed out cold at that point.

Lottie decided to call the servants to have him escorted back to his own house, her orders being to tell the Hayfields the engagement was off due to their son being a worthless example of a man. The servants looked at her hesitantly before she simply smiled and asked what were they waiting for.

She watched as the servants drug Thomas Hayfield out from her house and into a carriage to be taken back where he could do no further harm. In a sense Lottie had felt good about her decision, but at the same time she felt a horrible fear creep up inside her chest seizing her hold once everyone was out of sight.

Now she had really done it. No more help for Thomas's family, she would have to do this on her own. But where could she find work? Maybe down at the harbor? Maybe at the fabric store or the grocers? None of it was a guarantee. And how long could her family survive without a sizable income to keep them above water?

Suddenly Lottie remembered the card the woman Carlotta had given her. She quickly took it out and stared at the card which could be the answer to her prayers.

But as she looked at the card it simply read only a simple name. No numbers, no street, just the name of the house.

The House of the Rising Sun.


	2. Chapter 2

Lottie stood outside on the cobblestone sidewalk, her hand trembling as she stood in front of the house. She had dressed in her best outfit, a simple white summer dress with lace around the bust and sleeves, that made her seem innocent but lovely. She had even let her long cream colored hair down like the lady Carlotta had liked. Maybe if she could impress her once more, she may get work here at this awful house.

That morning after her mother had awoken and realized Thomas was gone, Lottie had explained her plan to find work and to get away from the Hayfields for good. But the moment Lottie mentioned the name of the house she was going to that evening her mother had dropped the fine china dish she had been holding in her hand.

"You cannot go there" her mother said trembling.

Lottie had felt her face squeeze tight in confusion "But why ever not?"

"Because" her mother said drawing her voice to a whisper "I've heard stories about that place Lottie" she said barely breathing "Girl go there, but then they never come back. And those that do are..."

"Are what mama?" Lottie had said feeling a shiver down her spine/

"They come back ruined Lottie" her mother said with her eyes growing in fear " Ruined."

Lottie had felt her throat swallow shut as she had leaned away from her mother and thought about what she had said.

Ruined? What did that mean? She had heard of brothels and the kind of women that lingered in those places, but when Lottie thought about the fine clothes Carlotta had been wearing, she figured that even if it was a brothel house, at least it was a high end one. And maybe she wouldn't even be one of the working girls, maybe she could just be a maid or a counter girl?

So she had sneaked out, telling her mother she was headed to the docks to look for work down there, when instead she had taken a carriage up north to the house. All she had to tell the coachmen was the name and he knew exactly where it was, although a twinge of fear lay hidden behind his eyes as he had turned from Lottie and snapped the horses into action. Now that she thought about it, he hadn't even dropped her off at the entrance, merely the road that led to the somewhat large estate.

So she had walked on, one hand on her small satchel she took with her and the other holding the small card that the lady Carlotta had given her.

But as she came upon the house, she saw what everyone else had hidden from her, and the reason their fear was so great.

It was a old white plantation house, one that must have been around for many years before even her mother and father had settled here. Dark vines grew along the ancient columns while dark trees overhang above the dusty road that led up to the house. The lawn was not very kept, with high grass shooting up from the ground and whispering every time a breeze dared to pass by. She could see even from the entrance that the windows were dark and boarded up. The place felt dark, dark and cold as the on coming night that was quickly beginning to haze in the horizon. Lottie wondered if there was anyone even there at the house as she looked above the gate that red the exact same name on her card.

"The House of the Rising Sun" she said out loud looked up at the iron letters above her.

She could feel the sun behind her, it's ever glowing warmth beginning to set behind her as she turned slowly to watch it fall beneath the Spanish moss that filled the trees.

But suddenly she heard the faint hint of laughter coming from behind and quickly turned to look towards the house, watching the shadow of night start to fall from the top of the roof as it slowly descended down upon the house.

And to her amazement, Lottie saw that as soon as the shadow descended down over a window, the window would light up from inside the house, a sign that life was in that dark place.

Quickly she stepped forward and inside the gate, but once she heard those iron doors shut behind her she felt the slight twinge of fear settle inside her heart. She took deep breaths, each one for each step she took towards the house. Lottie kept thinking in her head why she should do this, what it would mean for Remy and her mother and sister. What kind of life she was going to have if she actually gained work here in this frightening place.

Lottie thought about how she had always had to be the brave one because of her baby sister. She remembered the first time she really looked at her sister Catherine.

"Cath!" she had shouted as she looked down at the sleeping babe while her mother shhhed her to keep quiet so Catherine could sleep. But Lottie had been too excited, her many months spent watching her mother grow with life only to think that the stork would suddenly pop in from the window and poke a hole in her mother's stomach to let her baby brother or sister out.

But thankfully her parents had spared her the actual truth of child bearing and one day Catherine just was simply there crying in her mother's arms. At first Lottie had been a bit disappointed for not being able to see the stork, but after giving her sister a good hard look decided that she would love this little crying thing with all her might.

And she had. Lottie could remember taking the blame when Catherine would spill ink all over her school work, her mouth quickly exclaiming that she was clumsy and Catherine should get new paper for her teachings.

Catherine wasn't spoiled either from Lottie's protection. Every time father would yell at Lottie from some behavior default or another Catherine would always slip inside of his office and remind their father what good qualities Lottie had as well. Then later on Lottie could remember her father coming to her and apologizing for being so cross over such little things.

And now standing in front of this house, Lottie's chest hurt from the memory of her father. But it was now up to her to take care of mother and Catherine. She would take his place even if it killed her.

Which now looking at the grand old house before her, she was a bit frightened it would.

Slowly she walked up towards the door, her hand ready to knock and proclaim to whoever answered that she sought employment and would like to speak to the owner of the house.

But before her knock could sound out the door opened to reveal the beautiful Carlotta dressed in a fine blue gown that sparkled even in the darkness of twilight. Her dark black hair was down loose around her shoulders as her lips still were stained with blood red.

"Well well" she purred looking Lottie up and down "I thought that was you I smelled coming up the road."

"You... you can smell me?" Lottie said suddenly afraid she stunk in front of the fine woman.

"Of course I can smell you" Carlotta said coming towards her "You smell like fresh roses and exotic magnolias drenched in vanilla rum. How could anyone resist such a smell?"

Lottie felt her cheeks blush at such a refined compliment but found the words she had been planning to speak, although she wished she had said them more eloquently.

"I've come for work" she blurted out.

Carlotta smiled devilishly as she turned towards the door.

"Well work around here is desperately needed" she purred again "I shall set you up with the lord of this house and we will see where we can put you my lovely pet."

Carlotta's fingered pointed to Lottie and wiggled for her to move forward into the house. Lottie could feel her whole body tense but stepped into the old house none the less.

However trashy the outside looked, the inside of this estate was absolutely beautiful. The walls were a dark golden color while dark red drapes hung above the rafters while a sparkling chandelier hung above the foyer next to a winding grand staircase that led up to God knows how many rooms.

Carlotta watched Lottie as she stared up and around her before Lottie realized the woman was looking at her that strange way, as if she were a meal and not a person.

"Come my love" she said while turning to open some fine old wood doors "I'm sure Sebastian will love to have a look at you."

Lottie followed sheepishly behind her, still staring at all the fine and luxurious things around her as they entered a grand office like her father's, only this one was filled with artwork and an old piano forte.

There sitting at the desk was a magnificently handsome man, he could almost be compared to Thomas if you switched the piercing blue eyes with dark entrapping ones that looked at you with such mystery you could get lost in them.

"Carlotta" this man, who Lottie could only guess was Sebastian, or at least she hoped "What kind of lovely vision have you brought before me?"

"This" Carlotta said turning to Lottie in a poised stance "Is Charlotte Beaulieu, but I know her as my Lottie."

"Charlotte" Sebastian said as he tasted her name in his mouth "That's french is it not?"

"Yes sir" Lottie said nodding her head "My mother moved to the United States when she married my father. She named me after my grandmother."

"And did your grandmother go by Lottie as well?" Sebastian asked seeming to be genuine with the question.

"No sir" Lottie said shaking her head "That was the nickname my father gave me, and it just stuck after that."

"Just stuck" he said smiling.

"Isn't she just divine?" Carlotta said drawing close to Lottie as she played with her hair "Like soft milk and cream, with eyes as blue as a summer sky."

"Carlotta dear" Sebastian said "Leave the poor girl be for now. Lottie, come have a seat" he said offering a chair near his desk.

Lottie looked meekly over at Carlotta before moving over to the chair. Behind her she could hear Carlotta move around the room, like a bored cat just watching the two as if they were the ones intruding in her place.

"Now why have you come to us Lottie" Sebastian asked, his pale hands crossing as his jet black hair hung in a lavish ponytail with a red ribbon.

"I've come for employment" Lottie said nervously "Ms. Carlotta gave me the card the other evening when I accidentally bumped into her."

"Accidentally" Sebastian said now serious as he looked over at Carlotta.

Lottie couldn't see but she could tell that the aura of the room suddenly changed as Carlotta seemed to start moving around more, obviously agitated by Sebastian's look.

"Lottie have you heard the rumors of this house?" Sebastian asked now looking back at Lottie with those dark eyes.

"A little bit" Lottie said starting to shake "My...my friend told me girls come here but...but they don't come back."

"That is true" Sebastian said "We have had girls decide to stay with us rather than return home. Why do you need work though Lottie? And this time don't lie to me, your mother seemed like a wise woman when she told you to stay away from here."

Lottie felt her whole body freeze as she realized he had known the truth but her mouth decided to move anyway without thinking "My father had me engaged to a man I didn't love. I left him and now I need to take care of my mother and sister."

"Hmmmm" Sebastian said before leaning back and staring at Lottie, a little bit like how her father used to. Except this time it was a man, a young man that seemed very old in his dark eyes that stared right through her body and into her soul.

"This is what I can offer you Ms. Beaulieu" he said now very professionally "I can offer you work here, and provide your family with a monthly salary from your wages that will set them up with more than they will need."

Lottie's eyes widened as a smile began to form on her face.

"But on one condition" Sebastian said looking down at his desk "You cannot leave this estate, and you cannot breathe a word about what you see in this place no matter what. If you do" he said now staring up at her "You will die."

Lottie felt all the air from her lungs suddenly disappear as she stared at the man thinking about what he had just said. She could take care of her family...but if she left she was as good as dead...

She thought about her mother and sister, the way her mother hummed when she was rearranging the flowers in the household, the way Catherine would smile at her when they sat outside on the porch swing, just talking about their lives and futures. All of that would be gone, but they would have a future. She promised she would always take care of them, no matter what.

"I accept the offer" Lottie heard herself say.

"Excellent" Sebastian said now with a grin "I will have Carlotta show you to your room and I think tonight we will set you up to be ready for work. What do you think Carlotta? Should we set her up with Christoff?"

"Christoff?" Carlotta said from across the room "But he hasn't accepted anyone in years."

"Well maybe he will tonight" Sebastian said looking up at Lottie "Make sure she looks just the part."

Carlotta started to come forward but Lottie stood confused for a moment.

"But sir" Lottie said suddenly "You haven't told me anything of the work I will be doing? Am I having relations with these men or just merely providing company?"

"Oh my dear" Sebastian said "You will be providing a lot more than company. You will be providing your blood."

Lottie froze when she heard the word blood as her mouth dropped open and merely uttered out a "What?"

But as Sebastian's smile widened Lottie then noticed his teeth. They were not normal teeth...no...

Where his canine's were supposed to be were replaced with something even more terrifying that sent Lottie shaking in her shoes before she turned and saw Carlotta as well sported the horrible things that grew inside their mouths.

Fangs.


	3. Chapter 3

Lottie could feel her heart racing, her body wanting to flee the moment she saw the fangs in both the...not she couldn't call them human...she didn't know what to call them other than monsters.

"Not monsters love" Carlotta said drawing near, her fangs still visible in her smile "Vampires. And our kind have been around since the dawn of man."

"And now we simply want to live in peace" Sebastian said looking at Carlotta "At least some of us do."

Carlotta pointed her nose high at Sebastian before looking back at Lottie.

"Now dear one, let's get you ready for tonight" she purred.

"Tonight?" Lottie said still terrified out of her wits. 

"Why yes" Carlotta said in her ear "You'll be a feast worth waiting for."

It was then Lottie's body remembered how to run as she twisted around ready to break for the door when suddenly Carlotta's hand poised up in the air while her eyes glared into Lottie's.

"You will not move girl" she hissed as Lottie felt her whole body stiffen as she looked in Carlotta's eyes "And you will turn around and apologize for your behavior."

Lottie almost felt her body melt into a stupor and she turned and mumbled an apology to Sebastian, unaware that she was supposed to do anything but that.

"Good" Carlotta said smiling as her hand dropped and Lottie became rigid with fear once more as she looked over her shoulder at the female vampire.

"Our kind can do lots of things Lottie" Sebastian said from the desk "It's best not to make one of us angry."

Lottie felt her head nod understanding what he meant. If she tried to leave, if she uttered anything about what she saw in this horrible place, these creatures could kill her.

As if reading her mind once more Carlotta nodded at her and beckoned her out of the office and up the grand staircase that winded around the room. Lottie followed, not sure what else she could do. She was trapped, in a agreement with devils as it were, and she would have to follow through with it if it meant saving her family.

Hot tears started to form in her eyes as she followed Carlotta down a long white hallway with many doors that led to who knows where. Old paintings hung from the walls and Lottie briefly wondered if they were all vampires or just victims.

"A little bit of both" Carlotta answered her and Lottie felt the shiver of fear creep up her once more. She was going to have to watch what she thought when she was around these people. For it seemed they read her mind whenever they chose.

Carlotta stopped at the end of the hallway, a skeleton key producing in her hand from out of nowhere as she popped it into the keyhole of the door and opened it with a gentle push.

"Here's where you'll be staying" Carlotta motioned in the room. Lottie took a step in, unsure if she was going into another trap. But the expectant look from Carlotta only confirmed that there was no trickery, only patience getting thin as she stalled at the door.

Lottie stepped in and looked around her rather large room. A fireplace sat at the far end of the room as a giant bed stood right in the middle, a clue that the bed was the center of attention in this place where most meetings would occur. On the other side of the room sat a simple vanity with a dresser and a white door that must lead to a bathroom for her privacy. Lottie noticed that all the walls were a distinct dark red wood and the furniture glistened of oak and mahogany.

Lottie wondered how many other girls lived in rooms just like this one and turned to Carlotta expecting an answer.

"What?" Carlotta said looking at her rather bored "I don't always look into your head girl. It gets rather boring at times."

Lottie felt a bit embarrassed and spoke clearly "How many other girls are in this place?"

"Right now.." Carlotta said looking up as if she were really thinking "About ten, but some never last very long. We also have about three or four different young men we keep around for the ladies. Some can't take the meetings with our kind and we have to get rid of their bodies, others have lasted years and have become many guests favorites."

"What happens if you become someone's favorite?" Lottie said quietly.

"Well three things can happen" Carlotta said getting serious as she shut the door behind her " The first which is the most common is that they keep you as sort of a pet, take care of you and maybe send a little extra money your way. Second, they can get greedy and drain the life out of you. That's where a lot of our dead girls come from, and some men as well. The third, and this is the most rare as it almost never happens, is that they choose you to become one of us. But Sebastian has put a clear rule on no turning girls here in the house."

"You mean, people can turn into.." Lottie said looking Carlotta up and down.

"Well of course" Carlotta said with a fanged smile "How else did you think we came to be? Everyone that is a vampire has someone who turned them. We call them Makers."

"Who is your Maker then?" Lottie said feeling her curiosity get the better of her.

But Carlotta only smiled and gave her a wink "That's my secret" she said "Now some maids will come in to help you get dressed for the night. Now all you have to do is smile, don't resist whatever they want to do to you, and try and rest afterward. Nobody likes a pretty girl crying" she said with a wink before disappearing out the door.

Lottie felt her body relax a little, ready to start to scramble ideas of how she was going to get out of this place.

But she would have no time to think of an escape as the maids came in a rush suddenly, their hands filled with bath items and new clothes for her to wear.

Lottie felt detached as the maids stripped her and stuck her in a tub full of hot water as they nearly scrubbed every inch of her, their hands going to work like they had done it a million times before. Lottie didn't speak to them, just simply moved her body where they wanted her to and kept her eyes dead to the world.

Soon they dried her cream colored hair and let it hang loose in long soft curls down her back as they fitted her into a dress that barely even covered her, leaving her neck bare and exposed to whatever creature may come through that door.

She remembered Carlotta and Sebastian talk of a Christoff. Hopefully he would be kind to her, to spare her from whatever horrors were about to happen. The fire in the room burned hot as she stared into it, the front of her body warm as her back faced the darkness and the cold.

She could hear outside her door people starting to come into the house, as music fired up and the sounds of laughter could be heard downstairs. How long was she going to wait up here until her doom came up those stairs and knocked on her door.

How was she ever going to return home...home to her mother...her sister... and...

"Oh my God!" Lottie said out loud "Remy!"

Suddenly the tears she was holding back came forth with fury as she thought about her dear sweet love she would never see again. Lottie felt her body crumble to the floor, the fire cackling beside her as she started feeling selfish and awful. She had really made a pact with the devil, and now she would never see Remy again...

She had to get out of here.

If only to tell Remy what happened and maybe just maybe she could flee New Orleans with her mother and sister. Surely Remy could find them a place to hide from these awful creatures so they could live in peace.

Losing Remy when she had agreed to marry Thomas was one thing, at least she could see him in secret. But in this place, this place filled with monsters and mystery, she was unsure if she would ever even get to speak his name let alone see him.

"Oh God" she whispered as her hand went to her mouth "What have I done?"

Then suddenly, she heard the knock on her door, and felt her whole body start to shake as the creaking of the door sounded out through the room.

She would never get to look into Remy's beautiful eyes again.

Her death had come.


	4. Chapter 4

Lottie heard the door open, but felt too terrified to turn around. Footsteps quietly walked in and then shut the door just as calmly as it had opened. Lottie could feel the separate presence in the room, but heard no voice, no footsteps coming towards her, only the cracking of the fire that she was hunched in front of. Lottie felt her fear turn into something else that surprised her. Instead of being terrified, she became confused. Why was this creature not coming for her? Why did he not speak? Or could he even speak at all?

Suddenly her confusion became curiosity, and even as a little girl Lottie could not control this feeling. She felt her head slightly turn, her body scared but excited to what she might see as her wide eyes turned to see the thing that had come into her room.

And then, time stopped.

Not a monster, but a man stood near the door, his tall figure calm and steady but also looking just about as frightened as she was as they both stared at one another. Lottie turned more, her body slowly moving upwards as she assessed him, her fear almost completely gone as this man visibly shuddered for a moment as he too stared right back at her.

He was...beautiful. Beautiful in a old, ancient way. Lottie could remember reading books on ancient temples in Greece and Rome and how lovely they looked although they were centuries old and almost ruined. That was how this man looked to her right now, old and beautiful. His hair, which must have been a bright blonde in his youth, was now a sandy color with streaks of gray along the sides. His forehead was stern, and his face held tiny scars that Lottie couldn't make out just yet, but his eyes, which were some ash color, looked at her like no other person had looked at her before. Those eyes...they didn't just see her, they saw all of her, like he was looking past her body and right into her very soul.

His strong jaw line and firm lips lifted slightly to her, almost as if he were gaining composure now that they had stared at each other for a good long while. She noticed he didn't wear a jacket, and his hair was only slightly long in the back as it was tied not with a ribbon but with jet black string. His vest and pants and white shirt all seemed wealthy looking, but Lottie could detect some dishevelment in his dress.

"Hello" he finally said, his voice dark with a slight hint that he was foreign.

"Hello" Lottie said back, surprised at how firm her voice was towards him.

"Are you..." she said trying to remember the name Carlotta had spoke of "Christoff?"

The man nodded, but still seemed mesmerized by her.

"What is your name?" he suddenly said.

"Lottie" she said back.

"Lottie" he whispered drawing near "Such a odd name..."

"It's a nickname" Lottie said rambling "My real name is Charlotte-" but her sentence was cut off as he moved very close to her, as if drinking in her scent, his eyes closing and reopening only to look once more into her eyes.

"Are you going to kill me?" Lottie suddenly whispered, her fear coming back with full force as she stared into this man's eyes.

"No" he said quietly.

"Then what are you going to do to me?" she said still frightened.

"Nothing" he simply said as his head shook. He suddenly turned from her and began for the door.

"Wait!" Lottie said not knowing what she was saying "Please! If I mess up they won't help my family! Please wait!"

Christoff stopped at the door, his head bent gently as if he were listening to her.

"Please" Lottie said softly " If I don't do whatever I'm supposed to do my family will starve. Please don't leave. I can't let my family starve."

"Who is your family?" he said still not looking at her, his eyes to the door.

"The Beaulieu's. It's only my mother, sister, and I. My father died a couple months ago. I was set to marry a man I didn't love, and instead I came here for work to make sure my family was taken care of. So you see monsieur I cannot let them down" she said feeling her voice become strained at the thought of her family suffering.

Christoff turned to her then, his eyes like rock but pity showed through them just enough that Lottie felt her words had gotten through to him.

"Are you afraid of me?" he said then, his body standing as if waiting for the worst answer.

But Lottie looked at him honestly and felt nothing in her heart that was fearful of him. She was scared of death, of her family dying, of the shame and disappointment if she failed them. She was terrified of Carlotta and Sebastian, and although this man before her was the same kind of creature he was, she felt no fear of him.

"You don't frighten me" she said quietly.

Christoff suddenly went from straight and firm to relaxed and calm. Lottie could even see a faint smile on those beautiful aristocratic lips and it made her slightly smile as well. What a world this man must live in, that he must think everyone is scared of him. No wonder he had stared at her like she had at him.

"I have not heard someone say such a thing to me in over a hundred years" he said looking up at the ceiling.

"That is a very long time indeed" Lottie said as her hands went behind her back.

"When your as old as I am, years go by like the seasons" he said now more relaxed as he came towards her.

"What a life that must be" Lottie said "I'm sure you've seen a lot of things."

"A lot of things, and a lot of people" he said quietly "But none such as you."

"Me?" Lottie said genuinely confused "How am I any different?"

"You" he said as his hand reached up to her face "Have a light. A bright light that I have not seen in over two thousand years."

"A light?" Lottie said as his hand cupped her face, her body stopping as he drew even closer to her.

"What did they tell you they would do if you were to leave this place?" he said quietly.

"They told me they'd kill me" Lottie whispered.

"And your family?" he asked as her head nodded in his hand.

"What if I told you I could take you away from here?" he said as his face drew close to hers.

"What about my family?" Lottie said quietly.

"They would never find them" he said shaking his head as his eyes bore into hers.

"Then I would go" she said softly.

"With me?" he whispered.

"With you" Lottie said without thinking.

"Do you trust me?" he said bringing her lips to his.

Lottie didn't even have time to think it before her mouth uttered the word.

"Yes."

"Then do exactly as I say" he said moving her towards the bed.

As Lottie moved with him she could feel that odd sensation in the back of her mind, the weird tingling of fear and excitement mixed together.

She only hoped that whatever happened, she would not be making another deal with a devil.

Or, the Devil himself.


	5. Chapter 5

"You must trust everything that I tell you, and do not question me at any time" Christoff said gently as they stood beside the bed. Lottie felt hesitation creep up into her stomach, but she bat it down with the notion that she would see her family and her Remy once more.

"I understand" she said "And then after you can help me escape?"

"After this you can walk out of this place and no one can stop you" he said quietly.

"Is it going to hurt?" Lottie said looking down at the bed.

"Yes" Christoff said.

She simply nodded her head, not sure what he meant but either way, whether he preformed some kind of ritual or took her innocence, it was worth it for what the future had in store.

Besides, she thought looking at him as her cheeks blushed, she wouldn't mind his hands touching her in places she only dreamed of...

As if reading her mind his eyes became hot as they looked down at her. Lottie could feel her heart start to race as her legs grew weak from the way he was looking at her. She had never laid with a man, not even Remy, but right now thoughts of him were far behind her as Christoff's hand found her neck, the gentle stroke of his thumb caressing her skin to the point where she felt her body shiver with a need she had never felt before.

His hand went farther down along her neck to her shoulder, his hand brushing back the fabric of the dress to expose her collarbone. She felt his other hand move to the back of her head, it's gentle touch filled with want cupping her closer to him as his head bent towards her lips.

Lottie closed her eyes, drinking in his own scent as time seemed to slow. He smelt like a warm wooded spice that she could lay in for days if he let her. Suddenly his soft lips pressed against her own and Lottie let him in so naturally, as if she had kissed him a thousand times before. Her own hands now reached out for him, her fingers gripping at his clothes to pull him into her more. A soft moan escaped her as his tongue found the inside of her mouth, feeling along her teeth as she pressed herself against him with such a need that she didn't know was inside of her.

Suddenly Christoff's hands gripped her around the back and waist and let them both fall onto the bed. Now Lottie could feel her need grow even more as his waist pressed into her's, a strange and crazy warmth digging into her that she almost cried out as he started rocking into her. His mouth then began sucking and kissing down her neck, his hands moving along her body as he maneuvered his trousers from his legs. Lottie felt his mouth and his hands cup her breasts, the sensation filling her with passion as her moans asked for more. And Christoff was happy to oblige as he did things to her she had never even thought to be done.

But as soon as she thought it was over, Christoff had her look into his eyes as his mouth widened to reveal the fangs she had yet to see. But instead of being terrified like she had when Carlotta and Sebastian had revealed them, she felt her body swell even more with want, her body arching up to him as her head turned for him to take what she was offering.

A hiss escaped from Christoff as his hands grabbed her hips and tore away whatever undergarments she was wearing before he looked at her once more, wanting to make sure this is what she wanted.

But Lottie didn't get out the words, just simply nodded, her body too wired with a need for sex and his fangs biting into her skin.

Like lighting he moved into her, his hips thrusting into her own as his fangs pierced her neck. Lottie cried out from the pleasure and the pain, her hands digging into his back as he began rocking into her while his mouth drained her of life.

Lottie couldn't take it anymore, her mouth began moaning and crying out as he pumped harder into her, the pleasure escalating to a breaking point while his mouth kept draining her, the hot spill of her blood pooling behind her and down her body.

But at this point she was in a daze, her body giving into the pleasure and accepting the pain as if they were one and the same. The harder Christoff rocked into her, the louder she got, her hands gripping and tearing at his clothes. She could feel her body breaking to the tipping point, her head dizzy from the loss of blood as her heart slowed to a near deaf beat.

She was dying and it was at this point she thought about what had led up to this moment, this beautiful horrifying moment.

Suddenly Christoff pulled back, his fangs still out as he stayed inside of her while he moved upwards, his hand suddenly cutting into his wrist as his own blood started to drop. Lottie was too delirious to know what to expect when suddenly he held his wrist over her mouth, letting the little droplets of his own blood fall on her lips and into her mouth.

At first his blood tasted like metal, and she didn't want him to think her unworthy of the gift he was giving her, but then his blood turned from a metal taste to a hot wine that filled her with such warmth she had never known before.

Quickly with what strength she had left she latched on to his wrist, sucking in his precious blood as a faint smile crossed his face, his body moving over her once more as his intoxicating rocking began again inside of her.

This was how she was coming into the new world.

She was being brought in a world of sex, blood, and mystery. But as Christoff molded his body into hers she felt her body tipping over with the wonderful climax that came with intimacy and felt her body spark alive from him and the blood.

But she knew this wasn't over.

As he quickly moved out of her she could feel the warmth of her body suddenly go from a soothing warm to a hot and then burning sensation. She felt the fire race through her veins and surround her heart. Her eyes burned from the back of her skull and her screams echoed out through the room as Christoff tried to hold her steady, her body seizing up from the sensations that were coming from the inside.

"Christoff!" she yelled her mind panicking.

"Shhh" he said "Just try to get through it. This is just your body dying."

Dying!?

She couldn't die! She was young! She couldn't leave her family and Remy alone! She had to live! She had to be free!

And then like a cool river washing over her, the fire started to die down, as if her words coursed them into fleeing her body.

Her mouth that was stretched wide revealed her burning gums as she felt things poke out from them like a child growing new teeth.

Then...it was over. The fire was gone, her teeth were sore but other than that she felt like she always had. Slowly she opened her eyes as Christoff's concerned ones looked down on her.

"Welcome to the new world" he said quietly.

Lottie was confused on what he meant by that, but as her fingers went to where her teeth were sore she found that she no longer had just a regular straight row of teeth.

No, now when her finger moved along she felt two very sharp fangs poke out from where her teeth once were.

She was now one of them.

Welcome to the new world indeed.


End file.
